Studios have been trying to get an adaptation of Hugh Howey‘s dystopian sci-fi novel Wool off the ground for close to a decade, and we have finally found the combination to get it from page to screen. Rebecca Ferguson will star in a series adaptation of the novel for Apple.
At one point the project was in development as a feature at 20th Century Fox with Ridley Scott attached to direct, but that fell through. It was then revived as a proposed AMC series from LaToya Morgan, but that didn’t make it either. Apple have now swooped in to pick up the rights and will hope that third time’s a charm.
The story of Wool takes place in a ruined future where toxic air has forced a community to live in a giant underground silo hundreds of stories deep. This new society is full of regulations the people living there believe are meant to protect them. Ferguson will star as Juliette, an independent and hardworking engineer.
The series will reportedly draw from all of Howey’s bestselling trilogy of post-apocalyptic novels, which also includes Shift and Dust to complete what’s known as the Silo series. There are also several short stories and a graphic novel to use as source material as well.
Apple have brought in familiar faces to write and direct the show. Graham Yost, who served as a writer on Apple’s upcoming Masters Of The Air series, will write the show, while Morten Tyldum, who previously directed Apple’s thriller series Defending Jacob, as well as The Imitation Game, will direct the series.
It’s easy to see why multiple studios have been interested in Wool over the years. It’s got a unique setting made for the screen, and there’s plenty of opportunities for huge world building. Apple would love it if the show could become a successful long-running series like The Walking Dead.
Ferguson will soon be seen as one of many stars in Denis Villeneuve‘s Dune, which arrives in October. But before that she’ll star alongside Hugh Jackman in another sci-fi project, Reminiscence. That film hits cinemas and HBO Max simultaneously when it arrives in August.
#Peace.Love.Wool
